Have you noticed how much feedback we're asked for these days?
I'm not even talking about needy people on Facebook, posting every detail of their lives and silently begging for positive comments. (Sorry, that's probably a bit mean, but it sometimes comes across like that.) After all, we can always just block their posts and otherwise ignore them.
No, this is with regard to everyday life. Every time I go to a store I get a receipt that's two feet long, has a highlighted phone number/web site, and requires explanation from the sales assistant. Apparently if I go to the web site, type in the fifteen digit code, plus name address, shoe size etc. and tell them about my experience, I might win something. This can be anything from a new toothbrush to thousands of dollars. I don't know a single person who's ever won anything.
Last week I bought two taps/faucets for a small sink in the downstairs loo. They were quite hard to come by since it's a separate hot and cold tap (ver boten in this country), but I didn't want to have them shipped from England. I managed to find some discontinued ones on Overstock dot com, at an amazing price. They are now installed, and they work very well, thank you very much. Now I'm getting hounded to give feedback on the whole episode. I really don't have the time - and - they're not offering anything as an incentive, so…. I would think the fact that I haven't sent them back would be enough proof that I'm happy with them. Non?
And last year I found a plasterer/painter to patch and paint a certain hole the Ball & Chain had cut into the ceiling (long story), through a referral web site that's quite famous in the USA. I use the site all the time because it gives you good feedback about the companies, provides arbitration and support if something goes wrong, and allows you to vent your spleen if you're not happy with the work. Most of the time I've been happy and I give detailed feedback 98% of the time. I don't remember being unhappy with the painter, but I don't really remember anything at all. The web site is still asking me for feedback though. I can't remember what I paid, how long they took nor how satisfied (on a scale of 1-10) I was. Again, wouldn't you think that me not providing feedback would be a hint that I'm having a senior moment, and can barely remember them being here?
What about you? How often do you provide feedback?